P
PopeSaintMatthew
Guest
So what branch of Christianity or Theology do you believe the Holy Spirit guided you to? Why do you embrace this set of belief's and what are they?
There are multiple reasons why Catholicism is the only Religion I could belong to.
The Catholic Church sticks to what the Scriptures say about the Eucharist in John 6, all the last supper accounts, and Corinthians 11:27, and what the only Christian Church's believed about the Blessed Sacrament and the Mass for more than 1500 years.
The Catholic Church holds to Christs teaching about divorce and remarriage from Luke 16:18 where the vast majority if not all other denominations have gotten rid of this inconvenient teaching.
The Catholic Church has an unbroken chain of Popes that dates back to Peter (2,000 years ago) and never has a Pope spoken ex cathedra and defined a Dogma that contradicted what a previous Pope or Church council defined. I see the consistency and durability of the Church only possible with the blessing of almighty God.
Protestant Churches have been around for a few hundred years and they have already compromised on many issues that they use to consider sinful (contraception ,and female priests/pastors/bishops for example) and you can see major changes in what those denominations believe today compared to what the founder of the Denomination believed. Protestant denominations are man made (have human founders). Try in vain to find the creature that founded Catholicism. That man is God.
The Catholic Church relies on the Church to investigate matters of Heresy and give an authentic understanding of Scripture. It seems people of other denominations take it into their own hands. The former approach is far more humble.
Matthew 18:17 says: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." This is only one of multiple Biblical examples of how the Church is the authority and supreme Court that Christ set up. Without this authority there is Doctrinal anarchy, a lack of widespread discipline, and a Divided Christianity. The Strategy of the Devil is to divide and conquer.
Christ didnt leave the early Christians with a Bible. He left them with a Church that put the first Christian Bible together more than 300 years later, so we can say that the Bible (especially the New Testament) is a Catholic book. The Sola Scriptura (Bible alone) Doctrine and the Faith alone Doctrine were the foundation upon which the Protestant Churches were built, and both of them are self-destructive, because Scripture alone does not define, and is incompatible with both of them.
The person person who obeys the Church is being more Biblical than the person who believes the Unbiblical Falsehood that the Church needs to find Scripture to back up every little detail of what it teaches. No where does Scripture say that we can rebel against the Church if we feel precept X, Y, and Z doesn't add up to our private interpretation of Scripture.
Jesus Christ and the Apostles preached truth that was not contained in or even contradicted the Scriptures of that time, such as the decision to not stone the Adulteress, the decision that the Apostles made at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), the unprecedented status of Gentiles, and love for enemies. This, along with plenty of other Biblical evidence and common sense, goes to show that neither Christ, the Apostles, or early Christians preached a "Bible alone" Doctrine. They did preach obedience to the Church.
Catholic Church is faithful to the Scripture that says all generations shall call Mary Blessed and to deny her the title "Mother of God" is to (perhaps subconsciously) deny the Trinity and the Divinity of Christ.
If the Church is not guided by the Holy Spirit, we do know with certainty that the Church was not mistaken in declaring the New Testament Canon of Scripture. If you don't trust Church Authority, that is grounds for not trusting the Bible.
One of many questions the Fathers of Protestantism should have asked themselves is where was Christ's Church for the past 1500 years? Did it up and vanish after Catholicism became the official Religion of the Roman Empire? What about Christ's promise to the Church "I am with you always, to the very end of the age.(Matthew 28:20)" or "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church)"(Matt 16:18). Would God have let his Church become a false or Pagan Religion? Not according to Scripture which says the Church is the pillar and bulwark of truth.
The Sacrament of Confession is good medicine. It did me far more good receiving the Sacrament of confession and Spiritual direction than it did consulting with others, including professionals who charge an arm and a leg. You can feel free to share what you wouldn't share with anyone, because nothing can be disclosed.
The communion of Saints is appealing because through it we can have a friendship with God's champions and Generals. We benefit from their intercession because they have been perfected, are sinless, and their knowledge of and relationship with God far surpasses that of any members of the Church militant.
The greater part of the body of Christ (Church Triumphant) helps out the Church Militant. This also means that if a person was dedicated to the service of God's people and the salvation of souls while on earth, he/she can continue to help them while in Heaven.
The Doctrine of Purgatory brings much hope as well. A person who dies unworthy of the kingdom of God can reach the first degrees of Christian perfection after being purified. This is important because God's word says "nothing unclean shall enter Heaven" (that would include ten out of ten people in this world) and that we will be purified by fire. Scripture says even the angels are not pure in God's eyes, so thank God for Purgatory!
From what I've seen growing up Protestant, non-Catholic Christianity usually focuses too much on being happy and comfortable in this life. In the Catholic Church there are true warriors like those mentioned in Hebrews 11: 35 "There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground."
The Catholic Church has thousands of courageous lovers of the Cross. Some of them like Saint Francis of Assissi, Saint Anthony of Padua, and St. Isaac Jogues traveled to far distant hostile lands, fearlessly willing to embrace martyrdom for love of Christ. There are Saints who mortified their pride by loving humiliation, crucified their self-will by obedience, conquered sloth by loving physical suffering, extinguished lust by living a life of complete chastity, and overcame anger by loving their enemies.
Does admiring any part of God's creation distract you from God? When you walk through a forest, a Desert, or go to the beach and admire the Ocean and the sunset, does that distract you from God or draw you closer? Similarly when you admire people like St Francis, Mother Teresa, John the Baptist, Paul, Moses, Elijah, or the Mother of Jesus who dedicated their lives to serving God and growing in virtue, Does that make you turn away from God - or is it more likely to inspire you into more diligent service of God?
The Church has contemplative branches of people who like John the Baptist own nothing but the sandles on their feet, the robe on their back, their Bible, and live in complete Chastity. They pray and meditate on the law of the Lord unceasingly, and even renounce their will by the vow of obedience. They have completely laid down their lives for Christ and the salvation of souls. I don't see that same dedication in other Denominations.
Since Celibacy was mentioned in Scripture as being a calling where one can be dedicated to God with an undivided Heart, I have to wonder why Protestant Church's don't have more celibate clergy.
In my humble opinion, other denominations are just not rationale in their view of suffering. The Catholic Church explained well my biggest stumbling block in believing in God on why this world is so full of despair, suffering, injustice, disease, and death, and how he can bring beauty out of such ugliness (the torture, humiliation, and death of Christ for example) and that such suffering can be very good for us and manifestations of his love for us.
It was God's will that the Apostles and the early Church drink from that same cup of bitterness, carry the cross, and follow in the bloody footsteps of Christ either through a red (fatal) or a white (daily) martyrdom. I could never make sense of a Christianity that doesn't preach the Cross.
There is alot in Scripture that is not clear and concise. It seems like some of Scripture, the book of Revelation for example, is designed so that a select few Holy people will have the anointing to understand it. To this day there are many commentaries on Scripture and its meaning that are theoretical/hypothesis.
But I found in the writings of the Saints, messages from Church approved Marian apparitions, and messages from our Lord to the mystics, clear concise instructions that apply more to the contemporary culture and are linked to Modern Historical events.
I prefer clear instructions on how to sanctify each day which can be found in certain places within the Bible but, much of the Bible is parables, poetry, and prophecies that people have been arguing and bickering about for thousands of years and continue to do so. That is why the Bible does more good when read in union with the teaching authority that Christ left on earth.
Rejecting this authority has lead to an extremely divided Christianity which is clearly condemned in Scripture. "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment"(1 Corinthians 1:10), "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.(Mark 3:25)"
So those are my reasons for becoming Catholic and with a list like that I dont think I'll be leaving the Church anytime soon.
There are multiple reasons why Catholicism is the only Religion I could belong to.
The Catholic Church sticks to what the Scriptures say about the Eucharist in John 6, all the last supper accounts, and Corinthians 11:27, and what the only Christian Church's believed about the Blessed Sacrament and the Mass for more than 1500 years.
The Catholic Church holds to Christs teaching about divorce and remarriage from Luke 16:18 where the vast majority if not all other denominations have gotten rid of this inconvenient teaching.
The Catholic Church has an unbroken chain of Popes that dates back to Peter (2,000 years ago) and never has a Pope spoken ex cathedra and defined a Dogma that contradicted what a previous Pope or Church council defined. I see the consistency and durability of the Church only possible with the blessing of almighty God.
Protestant Churches have been around for a few hundred years and they have already compromised on many issues that they use to consider sinful (contraception ,and female priests/pastors/bishops for example) and you can see major changes in what those denominations believe today compared to what the founder of the Denomination believed. Protestant denominations are man made (have human founders). Try in vain to find the creature that founded Catholicism. That man is God.
The Catholic Church relies on the Church to investigate matters of Heresy and give an authentic understanding of Scripture. It seems people of other denominations take it into their own hands. The former approach is far more humble.
Matthew 18:17 says: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." This is only one of multiple Biblical examples of how the Church is the authority and supreme Court that Christ set up. Without this authority there is Doctrinal anarchy, a lack of widespread discipline, and a Divided Christianity. The Strategy of the Devil is to divide and conquer.
Christ didnt leave the early Christians with a Bible. He left them with a Church that put the first Christian Bible together more than 300 years later, so we can say that the Bible (especially the New Testament) is a Catholic book. The Sola Scriptura (Bible alone) Doctrine and the Faith alone Doctrine were the foundation upon which the Protestant Churches were built, and both of them are self-destructive, because Scripture alone does not define, and is incompatible with both of them.
The person person who obeys the Church is being more Biblical than the person who believes the Unbiblical Falsehood that the Church needs to find Scripture to back up every little detail of what it teaches. No where does Scripture say that we can rebel against the Church if we feel precept X, Y, and Z doesn't add up to our private interpretation of Scripture.
Jesus Christ and the Apostles preached truth that was not contained in or even contradicted the Scriptures of that time, such as the decision to not stone the Adulteress, the decision that the Apostles made at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), the unprecedented status of Gentiles, and love for enemies. This, along with plenty of other Biblical evidence and common sense, goes to show that neither Christ, the Apostles, or early Christians preached a "Bible alone" Doctrine. They did preach obedience to the Church.
Catholic Church is faithful to the Scripture that says all generations shall call Mary Blessed and to deny her the title "Mother of God" is to (perhaps subconsciously) deny the Trinity and the Divinity of Christ.
If the Church is not guided by the Holy Spirit, we do know with certainty that the Church was not mistaken in declaring the New Testament Canon of Scripture. If you don't trust Church Authority, that is grounds for not trusting the Bible.
One of many questions the Fathers of Protestantism should have asked themselves is where was Christ's Church for the past 1500 years? Did it up and vanish after Catholicism became the official Religion of the Roman Empire? What about Christ's promise to the Church "I am with you always, to the very end of the age.(Matthew 28:20)" or "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church)"(Matt 16:18). Would God have let his Church become a false or Pagan Religion? Not according to Scripture which says the Church is the pillar and bulwark of truth.
The Sacrament of Confession is good medicine. It did me far more good receiving the Sacrament of confession and Spiritual direction than it did consulting with others, including professionals who charge an arm and a leg. You can feel free to share what you wouldn't share with anyone, because nothing can be disclosed.
The communion of Saints is appealing because through it we can have a friendship with God's champions and Generals. We benefit from their intercession because they have been perfected, are sinless, and their knowledge of and relationship with God far surpasses that of any members of the Church militant.
The greater part of the body of Christ (Church Triumphant) helps out the Church Militant. This also means that if a person was dedicated to the service of God's people and the salvation of souls while on earth, he/she can continue to help them while in Heaven.
The Doctrine of Purgatory brings much hope as well. A person who dies unworthy of the kingdom of God can reach the first degrees of Christian perfection after being purified. This is important because God's word says "nothing unclean shall enter Heaven" (that would include ten out of ten people in this world) and that we will be purified by fire. Scripture says even the angels are not pure in God's eyes, so thank God for Purgatory!
From what I've seen growing up Protestant, non-Catholic Christianity usually focuses too much on being happy and comfortable in this life. In the Catholic Church there are true warriors like those mentioned in Hebrews 11: 35 "There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground."
The Catholic Church has thousands of courageous lovers of the Cross. Some of them like Saint Francis of Assissi, Saint Anthony of Padua, and St. Isaac Jogues traveled to far distant hostile lands, fearlessly willing to embrace martyrdom for love of Christ. There are Saints who mortified their pride by loving humiliation, crucified their self-will by obedience, conquered sloth by loving physical suffering, extinguished lust by living a life of complete chastity, and overcame anger by loving their enemies.
Does admiring any part of God's creation distract you from God? When you walk through a forest, a Desert, or go to the beach and admire the Ocean and the sunset, does that distract you from God or draw you closer? Similarly when you admire people like St Francis, Mother Teresa, John the Baptist, Paul, Moses, Elijah, or the Mother of Jesus who dedicated their lives to serving God and growing in virtue, Does that make you turn away from God - or is it more likely to inspire you into more diligent service of God?
The Church has contemplative branches of people who like John the Baptist own nothing but the sandles on their feet, the robe on their back, their Bible, and live in complete Chastity. They pray and meditate on the law of the Lord unceasingly, and even renounce their will by the vow of obedience. They have completely laid down their lives for Christ and the salvation of souls. I don't see that same dedication in other Denominations.
Since Celibacy was mentioned in Scripture as being a calling where one can be dedicated to God with an undivided Heart, I have to wonder why Protestant Church's don't have more celibate clergy.
In my humble opinion, other denominations are just not rationale in their view of suffering. The Catholic Church explained well my biggest stumbling block in believing in God on why this world is so full of despair, suffering, injustice, disease, and death, and how he can bring beauty out of such ugliness (the torture, humiliation, and death of Christ for example) and that such suffering can be very good for us and manifestations of his love for us.
It was God's will that the Apostles and the early Church drink from that same cup of bitterness, carry the cross, and follow in the bloody footsteps of Christ either through a red (fatal) or a white (daily) martyrdom. I could never make sense of a Christianity that doesn't preach the Cross.
There is alot in Scripture that is not clear and concise. It seems like some of Scripture, the book of Revelation for example, is designed so that a select few Holy people will have the anointing to understand it. To this day there are many commentaries on Scripture and its meaning that are theoretical/hypothesis.
But I found in the writings of the Saints, messages from Church approved Marian apparitions, and messages from our Lord to the mystics, clear concise instructions that apply more to the contemporary culture and are linked to Modern Historical events.
I prefer clear instructions on how to sanctify each day which can be found in certain places within the Bible but, much of the Bible is parables, poetry, and prophecies that people have been arguing and bickering about for thousands of years and continue to do so. That is why the Bible does more good when read in union with the teaching authority that Christ left on earth.
Rejecting this authority has lead to an extremely divided Christianity which is clearly condemned in Scripture. "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment"(1 Corinthians 1:10), "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.(Mark 3:25)"
So those are my reasons for becoming Catholic and with a list like that I dont think I'll be leaving the Church anytime soon.
Sometimes, it's a good idea to help a newcomer better understand their way around these forums and not just say "welcome" and let it go at that.
